Fahimeh Khatami, Francesca Sanguineti and Rayeheh Khatami
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of digital platforms on the resilience of food entrepreneurs in non-Western countries before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of digital platforms on the resilience of food entrepreneurs in non-Western countries before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a qualitative approach using cross-case analysis based on interviews with 17 restaurants in Iran’s touristic Torqabeh region. The data were collected before (2018) and after (2023) the COVID-19 outbreak.
Findings
The findings indicate that social and economic factors, particularly procurement and technological aspects of the food value chain, exhibited high resilience, enabling food entrepreneurs to revitalize their functions post-pandemic. The results reveal that digital platforms and online food shopping within food entrepreneurship contributed to this resilience by enhancing food distribution and potentially broadening equitable food access.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitations of this research are linked to the research method, which focuses on qualitative coding, and its geographic focus on Iran, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other contexts. The key implications include providing additional insights into the resilience of food entrepreneurship, illustrating the varied effects of social, economic and legal factors on revitalizing food entrepreneurship and emphasizing the crucial role of digital platforms in advancing food entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
The study advances the understanding of resilience in food entrepreneurship, contributing to both theoretical and practical strategies in emerging market contexts and offering insights for future research.
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Fahimeh Khatami, Enrico Sorano and Marco Bechis
The purpose of this paper is to contribute the advancement of knowledge on food heritage and indigenous entrepreneurship in a non-Western country, specifically in the Persian…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute the advancement of knowledge on food heritage and indigenous entrepreneurship in a non-Western country, specifically in the Persian gardens as the touristic destination for increasing the tourism and food businesses in Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodological approach adopted is based on qualitative and quantitative approaches to compare two representative gardens named as Bagh-Chehel-Sotoun and Bagh-Fin, as famous examples of a Persian garden in Iran. The methods supported the research to explain the lack of strategies for improving virtuous cycles in Persian gardens despite their potentials as the main places to attract many tourists.
Findings
Regarding local food and the quality of servicing, most of the visitors and tourists (85–90%) had interest to test local and traditional foods around both gardens, but they had no sufficient awareness of Iranian traditional foods. According to the tourists’ interests, the authors concluded the lack of servicing and facilities to present and introduce local and traditional food for tourists.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the limitation of local food services and lack of awareness of tourists about local foods, the implication of the study offers possible avenues to promote local food business.
Practical implications
The results could be useful for cultural heritage and tourism organizations and for investors in the economic sector due to more exploitation of the tourism industry.
Originality/value
The paper is the first work evaluating the Persian garden with a new perspective of local foods in Iran.
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Fahimeh Khatami, Francesca Ricciardi, Angelo Cavallo and Valter Cantino
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of globalization convergence (GC) and its components (social, economic, political, technological and ecological) on food…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of globalization convergence (GC) and its components (social, economic, political, technological and ecological) on food production (FP).
Design/methodology/approach
The methodological approach adopted is based on a quantitative approach, using a static panel data analysis with relevant data from five European countries within five time intervals (2013–2017).
Findings
The results indicated that three components of globalization (social, technological and ecological) could significantly contribute to the food industry, while two other components of globalization (economic and political) are negatively correlated with FP.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the theoretical recognition of the role of globalization in influencing FP in multidisciplinary interactions. Meanwhile, this study's main limitation lies in the statistical method of panel data analysis, since temporal and spatial changes have not been investigated.
Originality/value
Despite the literature on globalization's effect on FP, each globalization component's effect has not been investigated appropriately within cross-countries studies. Hence, the present study addresses a gap in the extant literature by examining the globalization effects on the food industry to promote globalized food security, opportunities and solutions in the study areas.
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Fahimeh Khatami, Alberto Ferraris, Paola De Bernardi and Valter Cantino
This paper empirically tests the relationship between food heritage, familiness, and clan culture, thus, highlighting the pivotal role of familiness in building robustly…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper empirically tests the relationship between food heritage, familiness, and clan culture, thus, highlighting the pivotal role of familiness in building robustly competitive food firms based on clan culture and food heritage.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodological approach adopted is based on a quantitative analysis with data from one eco-tourist city in Iran (Torqabeh). In this regard, we developed a structured questionnaire surveying 98 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the food industry. We then used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to carry out the analysis.
Findings
The results indicate the significant positive relationship between food heritage and clan culture, and highlight the role of familiness as a strong mediator, which is also associated with a strong relationship between food heritage and clan culture.
Research limitations/implications
In the present study, the main limitation was linked to the small sample size and data collection, which took place in only a single city; however, further research could overcome this limitation by investigating SMEs from a heterogeneous geographical context.
Originality/value
The value of this research relates to studies that have examined food heritage as a possible antecedent of familiness. Moreover, the novelty of this research is to study the concept of familiness in improving resource-based views and organizational theories.
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This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
This paper identified that digital platforms can help food entrepreneurs to develop and build resilience to improve firm performance.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.